


A hundred fireflies

by kyjr



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band), Kanjani8 (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 14:03:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyjr/pseuds/kyjr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ueda doesn't know what Ryo wants when he appears on his doorstep in the middle of the night...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A hundred fireflies

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Ueda, please continue being awesome <3

Nishikido Ryo was standing at his door.

Nishikido Ryo was standing at his door in the middle of the night.

Nishikido Ryo was standing at his door in the middle of the night, holding a jar in his hand.

"What?" was all Ueda managed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He was still in his pyjamas. "What're you doing here?"

"It's still your birthday," Ryo said, panting a little, and Ueda blinked.

"Yes, but--"

"I haven't missed it."

"N-No, but I--"

"Come on, then." Ryo pushed past Ueda, who was still rather bleary-eyed, and into his bedroom (after a wrong turn into the kitchen). "Grab a coat and shoes," he instructed, rummaging around in Ueda's closet. Ueda watched in somewhat of a daze, still trying to figure out _why_ Ryo was here in the first place. "Ueda!"

"Right, right, sorry." So Ueda followed Ryo's directions, fetching his coat and pulling his boots on in the hallway. "What's going on?" he asked eventually, looking up at Ryo, who was gazing around Ueda's apartment.

"Nothing," Ryo murmured, turning to face him. "You ready?"

 

>>><<<

 

"How much further?"

"Not too long."

"Yes, but _how_ long?"

"It's just up this hill."

Ryo hadn't said much to Ueda in the car. The drive had only taken around fifteen minutes, the silence filled with slow driving music that almost lulled Ueda back to sleep. The car was warm and smelt of takeout burgers; Ryo shyly threw away the wrapper that was sitting on the passenger seat. Ryo's car was old and beat-up; the seats were falling apart and the leather on the steering wheel was peeling away, but the car worked just fine. Ryo had hummed softly to the old song crackling through the speakers, eyes fixed on the road as he drove. Ueda had smiled to himself.

Then he was pulling to the side of the road and telling Ueda to get out.

They were in the middle of nowhere. Trees and grassy hills stretched on for what seemed like forever, almost glowing in the moonlight, and Ueda had looked around in awe, before Ryo was pulling on his sleeve and telling him to follow him.

"It's just up here," Ryo said, once they had reached the top of the hill.

"Woah."

The entirety of Tokyo was spread out before them, miles and miles of towers and skyscrapers reaching towards the sky. Ueda stared at the view in awe, watching the lights as they blinked and flashed through the city. Ryo smiled.

"Looks good, huh?"

"Yeah..."

Ueda looked over to Ryo, who was watching the skyline, his hair almost blue under the moonlight. Ueda smiled a little. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" he asked, but Ryo turned to him, confused.

"Huh?"

Ueda shrugged. "You must have had a reason for bringing me here--"

"Oh!" Ryo held up the empty jar in his hand, smiling widely. "That wasn't the reason."

Ueda watched Ryo a little suspiciously as the other made his way over the other side of the hill. "There's a river down here," he called, and Ueda nodded. "Are you coming?"

"Oh, right." So Ueda walked down the hill, being careful not to slip and fall on the rather damp grass. "Where are you?" he asked once he reached the bottom. They were standing on the edge of a river, the water flowing past ever so slowly. The river curled and curved around, trickling over rocks and around the many plants growing within it. Dragonflies zoomed above the water, leaving barely-there ripples as their translucent wings fluttered noiselessly. "Nishikido?"

"Here." Ryo was further down the river, crouching at the very edge. "I'm here."

Ueda carefully trudged over to him, the mud of the riverbank sucking his boots down with every step. "What're you doing?" he asked curiously. "Why did you drag me here in the middle of the night?" he asked, yawning loudly as he crouched down next to Ryo.

Ryo's body was warm next to his, and he found himself leaning into the warmth as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "You okay?" Ryo asked, his tone strangely soft and low. Ueda turned to him, a little surprised.

"Just a little sleepy."

"It's not midnight yet."

Ueda nodded, still a little confused, as Ryo shifted his weight and set the jar down. "What's with the jar?" he asked eventually, keeping his voice down. Ryo looked down at it and shrugged.

"Wait."

And so they waited. Ueda didn't know exactly what they were waiting _for_ but still, he waited. "Why are we here so late?"

"Shh."

"...Sorry," Ueda whispered. It was getting cold - he hadn't really noticed before, but now that his mind wasn't occupied, the sharpness of the air had started to make itself known. Ueda shivered, pulling his coat tighter around his body and knocking Ryo's elbow accidentally. "Sorry."

"Are you cold?" Ryo asked, and Ueda tilted his head, watching the moonlight on the surface of the water.

"A little," Ueda said, laughing. "I'll be okay." He just wanted to know why they were sitting in the mud as mosquitoes threatened to bite their bare skin.

Ryo grumbled something under his breath and stood. "Hang on," he said, pressing the palm of his hand against Ueda's shoulder as he passed. Ueda watched in confusion as he left, his footsteps heavy against the grass. He came back soon, throwing a thin black blanket over Ueda's shoulders rather carelessly. "There you go," he said gruffly, crouching back down and checking his watch.

Ueda stared, first at Ryo and then down at the blanket, a small smile finding its way onto his face. "Thank you," he said, and Ryo turned his head sharply, looking a little surprised.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah," Ryo muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Don't mention it."

Ueda pulled the blanket further around his shoulders, unconsciously still leaning into Ryo's body warmth. Ryo let him.

Ueda was almost falling asleep, his eyes heavy and his head slowly falling onto Ryo's shoulder when Ryo's watch emitted a high-pitched beeping sound. Ueda jumped awake, eyes wide as he blearily watched Ryo press a tiny button on the side of his watch. "What's that for?" Ueda asked, yawning widely. Ryo laughed, sending shivers up Ueda's spine.

"It's five minutes till midnight."

"So?" Ueda asked, getting quite impatient. "You drag me here in the middle of the night without so much as an explanation, expecting me to just go along with you? I'm getting tired, Nishikido, and I've still got work tomorrow. Please drive me back home," Ueda said, standing, but it seemed as though Ryo wasn't paying attention. "Nishikido!" Ueda snapped, and Ryo turned.

"What? What're you standing up for-- get down!" Ryo hissed, pulling sharply on Ueda's wrist and forcing him back down into a crouch. "You'll scare them away."

"Scare _what_ away?" Ueda sighed, but felt something give way as he saw Ryo's focused expression as he stared at the water. "Fine."

"There!" Ryo suddenly gasped, his hand shooting out to grab hold of Ueda's wrist yet again. Ueda jumped.

"Where? What?"

"Right there," Ryo said softly, leaning closer to Ueda and pointing out across the river. "Do you see it?"

Ueda couldn't see anything but bushes and reeds. Ryo sighed at Ueda's vacant expression, shifting closer so Ueda could see exactly where he was pointing. "Just there, between those flowers there--"

"Oh!"

Fireflies.

Fireflies were slowly rising up out of the reeds, their luminous bodies burning bright in the dark of the night. Ueda watched, entranced, as more and more of them flew up into the sky like tiny lanterns, dancing around each other.

Ryo's hand was still on his.

"Wow..." Ueda was speechless.

"I know."

"So this is what we were waiting for?" Ueda guessed, turning to watch Ryo's face. Ryo nodded, giving Ueda this awkward kind of half-smile that made Ueda's heart skip a beat.

"Happy birthday," Ryo said softly, his eyes back on the fireflies. Ueda couldn't help the smile that was blooming on his face.

"Thank you," he said, and this time Ryo looked up and into his eyes. "It's the best present yet."

"Hmm?" Ryo asked, expression confused. "No, this isn't your present."

"...Eh?"

"Come with me."

And then Ryo was pulling on his arm, getting to his feet, that glass jar in his other hand. "What're you doing?" Ueda asked curiously, but Ryo just smirked.

"Close your eyes."

It was a little like being in your own world, Ueda thought. Standing by the edge of a river, with hundreds of fireflies flying about your head, your eyes closed and ears open. He could hear the sounds of the river over the rocks, the sounds of the fireflies' wings and the sounds of Ryo's feet. "Ryo?" he called, as Ryo's sounds stopped. "Are you there?"

"I'm right here," said a voice in his ear, and he opened his eyes to find Ryo too close, his eyes too dark. "Here. _This_ is your present," he said, holding out the jar.

Ueda took it from him, amazement dancing in his eyes as he watched the little fireflies in the jar. "For me?" was all he could say. Ryo smiled, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah. I thought that-- I don't know-- No, it's stupid, nevermind," Ryo muttered, ducking his head and tutting to himself.

"No, tell me," Ueda laughed, tilting his own head to meet Ryo's eyes.

Ryo nodded but bit his lip as he avoided Ueda's steady gaze. "I thought that they kind of looked like fairies," he said quickly, looking down to his shoes as he kicked at the grass. "I told you, it's stupid."

But Ueda thought it was far from stupid. In fact, Ueda thought it was kind of completely amazing but words weren't coming to him and all he could do was stare at Ryo with wide eyes. "Y-You what?"

"Yeah."

Ueda slowly leant down to place the jar back on the ground, Ryo's curious eyes following his every movement. "They do look like fairies," Ueda finally said, and smiled at Ryo's sigh of relief.

"Yeah."

"I'm going to kiss you now."

Ryo's head shot up. "W-What?"

But then Ueda was kissing him ever so softly, his lips barely touching Ryos own. "Thank you," he whispered, pulling away and moving to take hold of the jar once more but Ryo was pulling him right back in.

Ryo kissed him. Ryo kissed him hard and with feeling, like he had been wanting to kiss him forever. Ryo kissed him like he had been waiting.

Maybe Ueda had been waiting, too.

And so they kissed as the clock struck midnight; the moon and a hundred fireflies their only witnesses. There were no words spoken between them, everything being said by the touch of a hand or a simple glance, and it was perfect.

Nishikido Ryo had just given him everything he had ever wanted.

 

\--the end


End file.
